1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to power tool accessories and, more specifically, to a Belt Sander Eraser Attachment.
2. Description of Related Art
Belt sanders, such as that depicted in FIG. 1, are a valued tool to the wood worker. The conventional belt sander 10 has a motor drive and roller mechanism housed within a housing 12. The sander 10 has a piece of reinforced sandpaper formed into a continuous loop (i.e. the sanding belt 14). The motor drive and roller drive the sanding belt 14 so that if the sander 10 is placed onto a workpiece on the bottom surface 17 of the belt, the workpiece will be sanded very quickly and evenly.
In order to control and direct the sander 10 while sanding, a front handle 16 and rear handle 15 are provided for the user to grasp onto. The sanding belts 14 come in a variety of grits and compositions to work on a wide variety of surfaces. The belt 14 is replaced by loosening the tension between the drive roller and the front roller 19, so that the belt 14 can be slid off the side.
The problem with the conventional belt sander 10 is that the belts 14 can tend to be quite costly. Frequent replacement of the belts as the sanding surface becomes clogged can be time-consuming as well as expensive. Frequently, there condition of a used sanding belt 14 is degraded, not because of a loss of the abrasive material from its surface, but rather because the abrasive surface has become clogged with cast-off material removed from the workpiece in the course of the sanding operation.
Over the years, craftspersons have discovered that much of the belt 14 clogging could be removed by running the belt 14 over a block of eraser-like material. While this approach works very well, it can be dangerous to work on the exposed (rapidly-moving belt) with the bare fingers, particularly when the eraser block shrinks in size due to normal usage wear. Also, it forces the user to cease sanding operations in order to “erase” the belt 14 before returning to work.
To solve these problems, what is needed is a belt sander eraser attachment that can be associated with a conventional sander 10, such that the belt 14 can be erased of clogging safely and without breaking from sanding operations.